The Priestesses of the Sea Witches didn’t figure out the full story until dusk.
The Temple of Yore had never been this quiet before, not even the ever-present murmurs could be heard as much.
This wasn’t an illusion; there really were fewer whispers, because.
“She caused the value of Pearl Oyster to plummet rapidly today, and people’s desires have shifted.”
A Naga Priestess whispered, “If we let this continue, things will get really bad.”
If Celes were here, she might immediately recognize that this was the same Naga who once took the money and ran.
As the Priestess in charge of the Fish Market, its duty was to maintain the status of Pearl Oyster.
Under its influence, all Sirens had a mysterious fanaticism for Pearl Oyster.
But apart from that, its combat ability was rather average.
So, when the girls went to the Market to question people, it didn’t come out to interfere.
When its underling was killed at the Workshop entrance, it didn’t show up to take charge.
When Ella and Leah openly preached at the Market gate, it still didn’t dare to step forward.
Even now, with the Pearl Oyster’s secrets exposed, it… still didn’t want to come out, but with no way out, it had no choice.
The Veins on the Fish Priest’s arm were bulging: “You only realized something this serious now? And how did she know Pearl Oyster was the key, who leaked the information?”
No one could answer this question; not many knew the truth to begin with. On the human side, only the Workshop boss and the Governor knew, and among the Sirens, only the Priestesses had the right to know.
These words were bound to be in vain.
The Fish Priest understood this too, so quickly asked again, “How much of an impact will this have?”
The Naga Priestess hesitated a lot, stammering, “At this rate, when the Ritual begins, He might not be able to descend in His full glory, and His time walking the world won’t be ideal either.”
Originally, His entire being could descend, but now, at this rate, maybe just a single hand at most, and the duration would drop from seven days to…
The Fish Priest wanted a specific time: “How not ideal?”
The Naga Priestess thought for a long time, then cautiously said, “Seven minutes?”
The other Priestesses in the Shrine couldn’t hold back anymore.
They believed that with His supreme might, even one hand for seven minutes could sweep through Harbor City, but as for overturning the world—forget it.
The original plan was to stir the seas and unleash a flood, flooding the continent for seven days straight.
Now there were only seven minutes left, not even enough to get past North Mountain.
“It’s too late, we only have one day left. Tomorrow, we must use every means to maintain the status of Pearl Oyster!”
Why wait until tomorrow? Because at night, humans rest, and their efforts alone would be useless.
But that didn’t mean there was nothing to do.
“Summon all Desecrators, landfall tomorrow!”
***
Meanwhile, at the Inn where the girls were resting.
Night had fallen, and everyone had returned to their rooms to sleep.
Another peaceful and quiet night… or was it?
Ella didn’t rush to undress.
She hugged her quilt on the bed, waiting to see if anyone would come.
Tap tap, tap tap.
Someone really did come! These slightly heavy footsteps belonged to—
“Leah, things haven’t been too great these past two days. Tomorrow is the last day before the Ritual. I’m worried something might happen.”
“It’s fine, I’m not here to get you to… join the faith.”
A bright and fragrant breeze sat down at the edge of the bed.
“I just want to talk to you about something.”
Not joining the faith, huh.
Ella felt a little disappointed for some reason.
No, why am I disappointed?
This is a good thing—Demon Lord’s dignity and integrity are preserved!
“What is it? Go ahead.”
“It’s about us.”
Leah leaned closer, lowering her voice.
“I think Vina is starting to suspect something between us.”
Ella frowned: “Vina?”
Wait, wasn’t I on guard against Zero?
Why is Vina getting involved now?
“Yes, I don’t know why either, but I didn’t let anything slip…”
Leah puffed out her fragrant cheeks, the last half of her sentence muttered very quietly.
Does that even count as letting something slip?
Probably not. Celes was there too, and she didn’t suspect anything.
“I just wanted to give you a heads up—be careful, don’t let Vina catch anything on us.”
“Okay.”
“And, your speech today was amazing!”
After saying that, Leah looked left and right—of course, she couldn’t see anyone else at this late hour—then reached out and wrapped her arms around Ella’s neck—
mua!
She gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then got up and walked out, still calling back as she went, “Good luck tomorrow too!”
Ella sat on her bed, touching her cheek, where a hint of sunshine-like fragrance lingered.
“What is this, what is this, what is this?”
Trying to use tenderness to corrode the Demon Lord’s will again? Hmph, time to sleep!
Zzzz
The next day was the seventh day of Ceremony Day, or rather, the last day before the Ritual.
Something was different about today.
Everyone in the city could feel it.
The Fish Market didn’t open, and all the Sirens who usually sold fish were out on the main road, each holding up a sign that… had writing humans couldn’t understand.
“Gua gua gua! Gua gua gu lu lu! Gua gu lu lu lu gua!”
The girls hurried over when they heard the news.
They looked at each other in confusion.
Vina poked Ella’s arm: “Little Ella, what are they saying?”
You’re asking me?
“I don’t know,” Ella pinched her voice a bit, looking apologetic, “I never learned Fishman language, sorry.”
The scene was chaotic.
Even Leah didn’t have time to tell her to stop pinching her words and speak properly.
After a while, a guard came over with someone from the Market Administration Office.
It wasn’t Dory—Dory had run off the day Governor Kelu died.
This was just an ordinary staff member.
“Reporting to the ladies, I just negotiated with the Sirens. They’re demanding that people continue using Pearl Oyster, as always, and that they’ll take care of production.”
He was reporting to Celes, and Celes immediately looked to Ella.
Trust—absolute trust, the first judgment in any situation.
Ella tilted her head: “And if we don’t?”
The Market Administration Office staff looked troubled: “They said, if we insist on abolishing Pearl Oyster, they’ll use every means to defend the Sacred Relic, including force.”
The girls’ expressions changed.
That early morning haze vanished in an instant, replaced by seriousness.
But Ella quietly curled her lips.
Armed conflict, huh?
So you’re finally dropping the act and bringing out those stitched-together monsters?
Fine, since you’re making the first move, it’s time for our brothers in the mountains to descend as well.
“Please go back and tell them, we’re sorry about all this, but Currency Sovereignty is non-negotiable.”
After sending the staff away, Ella turned to her companions, her eyes bright and her voice no longer pinched.
“Sorry, Leah, our original plan has to change. The Religious War can wait—for now, we’re fighting a Currency War!”